Conference
AILACTE National Conference
AILACTE 2026
National Conference
February 19 & 20, 2026
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Marriott – 555 Canal St, New Orleans
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel – 500 Canal St, New Orleans
Conference Theme
Independent Voices, Collective Impact: Shaping the Future of Educator Preparation
Conference Strands
STRAND 1
Strand 1:
Humanizing Pedagogies in a Digital Age
This strand examines the balance between educational strategies, technology and relationship-centered teaching. Educator preparation programs must foster compassionate, critical, and ethical educators with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to facilitate learning in a digital age.
Focus Questions:
- What approaches can EPPs use to cultivate compassion, critical thinking, and ethical responsibility in teachers, educational leaders, and educational support professionals?
- How can digital technologies be used in educator preparation to support—not supplant—human connection, culturally responsive teaching, and learner engagement?
- How can teacher educators critically evaluate and select digital tools that align with the values of humanizing pedagogies and support meaningful learning experiences?
- What are best practices for integrating artificial intelligence in educator preparation?
- How can online programs effectively prepare educators with a foundation in relationship-focused pedagogies?
STRAND 2
Strand 2:
Sustaining Programs with Big Impact
Proposals focused on this strand will identify innovative strategies for enrollment, accreditation, cross-campus collaboration, and curricular redesign that support the viability and vibrancy of independent educator preparation programs.
Focus Questions:
- What innovative strategies and programs (e.g., STEM, STEAM, Bilingual, Residency, Education Specialist) have proven effective in maintaining or growing enrollment in independent educator preparation programs ?
- How can accreditation processes be leveraged as tools for strengthening program quality and long-term sustainability?
- In what ways can cross-campus or cross-institutional collaborations enhance program impact and resource efficiency?
- How can curricular redesign address evolving educational needs while supporting program viability and distinctiveness?
- How can collaboration within and across institutions enhance the viability and impact of educator preparation programs?”
STRAND 3
Strand 3:
Advancing Equity-Centered and Inclusive Educator Preparation
This strand invites exploration of how independent liberal arts colleges can critically examine their own contexts while preparing future educators to advance equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice in diverse P–12 classrooms.
Focus Questions:
- How can independent liberal arts colleges critically examine their institutional programs (e.g., STEM, STEAM, Bilingual, Residency, Education Specialist) and practices to better support equity, inclusion, and justice in educator preparation?
- What approaches best prepare future educators to foster belonging and address systemic inequities in diverse P–12 classrooms, even in contexts where these ideals are explicitly discouraged?
- How can programs more effectively partner with international EPPs and international teacher candidates to advance inclusive and equity-centered education?
- In what ways can partnerships with diverse P-12 schools and communities enhance culturally and linguistically responsive preparation across coursework and clinical experiences?
STRAND 4
Strand 4:
Clinical Partnerships in Rural, Urban, and High-Need Communities
Building, maintaining, and learning from partnerships that serve high-need schools and communities, with attention to reciprocity, local knowledge, and long-term impact.
Focus Questions:
- How can educator preparation programs build and sustain reciprocal partnerships with rural, urban, and high-need schools that honor local knowledge and community context?
- What strategies support long-term impact and mutual benefit in clinical placements within high-need communities?
- How can partnerships with rural, urban, and high-need schools inform program design and candidate preparation?
- What role does community voice play in shaping meaningful and effective clinical experiences?
Register for Conference
Member Registration
- $300.00
Guest – Non-Member Registration
- $300.00
State Rep Registration
- $200.00
Student Registration
- $200.00
AILACTE Board Member Registration
- $200.00
AILACTE Editorial Board Member Registration
- 200.00